Sentient
by KingLover
Summary: Jet Jaguar fights for the Japan Special Defense Force to protect the world, yet as his memories were somehow erased, he knows nothing about his past. Little does he know, however, that his teammates/surrogate family have important information he's unaware of.
1. Unknown Origins

The night was dark and windy in Tokyo, Japan. A small, darkened figure cautiously approached the Japan Special Defense Force HQ, the gloomy atmosphere not helping with his sense of fear and uneasiness. He eventually reached the massive complex and stood on his tiptoes to press the buzzer. He stood waiting in the chilling night air until one of the reinforced doors opened, and a young man came halfway out. He had soft blue eyes and medium brown hair with bangs that swept to the left, almost covering his eye. He looked down at the now visible figure with surprise.

It was a small, humanoid robot boy. He had silver armor with colorful designs of red, yellow, and blue, and glowing cerulean eyes over black scleras, which showed fear and shyness. The boy looked to be about eight human years old.

"Um...hi." he said in his cyberized voice.

"Hello, little one." the man replied in a friendly tone. He looked this way and that, then motioned for the robot to enter. "Come in."

The boy stepped inside, and the armored door made a locking sound as it shut. The HQ interior was spacious and equipped with the most advanced technology and gadgets to date. The man took the robot's hand and led him to a sitting room, where other men and women were hanging around and talking.

"Team," the man said loud enough to get their attention, "we have a guest."

Everyone turned to the doorway, and numerous pairs of eyes immediately landed on the robot, who hid his face in the man's side.

"It's alright." he said soothingly. "They're my teammates. They're friends."

The boy slowly uncovered himself, though all the new faces still made him very shy. A young woman with long, wavy charcoal gray hair and gray eyes came up to him and knelt down to his level.

"Hello there." she said with a smile. "My name is Akari Minami." She gestured to the man. "This is Haru Tsukuda. What's your name?"

"Jet Jaguar." The boy's shyness was lifted a little bit by the humans' kindness.

"Are you lost, Jet?" Haru asked. "Where's your creator?"

"Uh...I don't know. I don't know where they are, or who they are. All I remember is that I was supposed to come here, but I don't know why. I can't remember a lot, and I'm scared."

"There's no reason to be scared, Jet." Akari reassured him, but then shared a troubled look with Haru and the rest of the team.

"Akari, why don't you sit out here with Jet while the rest of us talk?" Haru suggested.

The team followed Haru into the next room while Akari sat with Jet Jaguar. Despite being slightly comforted by their kindness, the young robot was still afraid; he couldn't remember the name of his creator, and he was sent to a place he didn't know, surrounded by humans he'd never met before. Akari wanted to talk to him to help ease his fear, but she was preoccupied with a trait of his that both amazed and perplexed her-he, a robot, seemed capable of expressing emotion. She wondered if his creator had programmed him to do that or if he somehow learned it himself.

"Do you remember where you're from, Jet?" she asked.

"Um, no. I don't remember, Miss Akari." he replied.

"What about...your ability to show emotion? Could you always do that? Or did you learn it at some point?"

"Uh...I don't remember that, either. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Looks like a lot of your memory files were erased."

"Do you think I'll ever get them back? Do you think I'll remember everything one day?"

The rest of the team reentered the sitting room before Akari could answer. Haru took a seat across from Jet Jaguar.

"Good news, Jet. We've talked about it, and we've decided that you can stay with us until you get your memories back." he declared.

Jet Jaguar's eyes brightened with excitement. "Really? You'll let me stay with you?"

"Of course." The team nodded approval.

The robot jumped up and threw his arms around Haru. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Haru returned the hug, but secretly exchanged another worried look with Akari.

Someone left to escort Jet Jaguar to his room, and Haru and Akari stood on one of HQ's upper floors, watching the Tokyo skyline through a tall, narrow window. They were silent for a long time, not knowing what to say.

"We all knew this day would come." Akari finally broke the silence.

"I know. But now that he's here..." Haru sighed. "What are we going to tell him? We'll have to at some point."

"We'll tell him the truth." Haru looked up, about to protest, but Akari persisted. "Even if he doesn't regain his memories, we can't hide it from him forever."

"...Right." Haru looked down, not looking forward to what they had to tell Jet Jaguar in the future, when he was old enough to understand. It would be difficult and no one knew how he would take it. All they could do for now was wait.

In his small but furnished room, Jet Jaguar looked out the window at the vast city, illuminated by thousands of lights. He wondered if his creator lived there, or somewhere farther away. All he knew was that his creator was out there somewhere, probably missing him, and he held onto the hope that one day, he would see them again.

"Creator," Jet Jaguar said, "I don't know where you are, or who you are. But I want to remember you, I want to remember our life before I lost my memories. I want to remember how I got lost, and why I was supposed to come here."

He looked up at the starry sky as if sending a prayer to the heavens. "I'll see you again one day, Creator, and I'll remember everything. No matter how long it takes, I'll hope for that day to come."

End of Chapter One


	2. The Heroic Celebrity

In the HQ's training room, the computerized combat system released a half dozen simulated androids. They charged toward their outnumbered opponent, only for Jet Jaguar to best them with his mastered martial arts attacks. For years, his greatest weakness had been holding his own against numerous opponents, but he had since trained to conquer that flaw. He punched and kicked and karate chopped his computer generated foes, most of which went down with one hit, further showcasing how much the robot excelled.

Haru and Akari stood just outside the training room, where they had a clear view of Jet Jaguar practicing through the large windows. It was when the robot reached a certain age that the JSDF team-now his close friends-began training him to defend Japan from all sorts of threats. Akari authorized the computer to generate enemies on a higher difficulty level. In response to these new opponents, Jet Jaguar changed battle styles, switching from melee attacks to his more robotic installed weaponry-his arm beams and missiles, blasts of energy from his wrists, and the spotlights in his eyes, which were used to blind or search for opponents.

With one final beam shot, the last simulated droid was taken down, and Jet Jaguar stood victorious in the training room. The simulation ended, and the robot grinned at his human teammates and friends, who smiled and nodded approval at his performance. He met them outside.

"Impressed?" he asked.

"More than impressed." Haru answered. "We're glad to see you've overcome something that was once a major obstacle for you."

"It'll definitely help you out the next time there's trouble." Akari added. "Anyway, Jet, we've received a message from an elementary school teacher. She says her class has been begging for weeks to see you in person. Like everyone else in Tokyo, they know about your heroism, and they pretty much worship you."

"Tell her I'd be honored to come." Jet Jaguar said. "It's always great to meet fans."

The robot left to go get ready, and Haru and Akari's cheerful moods faded as they watched him leave.

"Tomorrow will be the day he first came here." Haru noted.

"Tomorrow night. That's when we'll tell him." Akari added.

All Haru could do was nod and repeat, "Tomorrow night." Then he and Akari stood in silent dread.

Jet Jaguar and some of his teammates arrived at Okafuji Elementary School. Ms. Iketa, the teacher who sent the message, met them in the hallway-the children inside were currently unaware that their robotic idol stood just beyond the classroom door.

"Thank you very much for coming." she said. She addressed Jet Jaguar. "The children will be so excited to see you."

"Oh, I'm certain of that." Jet Jaguar said.

"I'll indirectly tell them that you're here, then let you know when you can enter. Just wait for your cue." Ms. Iketa went back into the classroom. "Children, someone's here to see you." She motioned for Jet Jaguar to come in, and he struck a heroic pose before the children.

"Hello, my little fans." he said.

"Jet Jaguar!" a girl happily cried out, and the children jumped up from their seats and crowded around their idol, nearly crushing him in a group hug.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there!" Jet Jaguar said, laughing. "And how are we doing today, my rising stars?" There came a flow of positive responses from the children.

"Jet Jaguar, can I show you a picture I drew of you?" a boy asked.

"Of course." the robot happily replied. The boy took his hand and led him to his desk, where his drawing lay. The brightly colored image depicted the heroic robot soaring through the sky, with several smiling people below watching him zoom by with admiration. Jet Jaguar picked it up to get a better look at it, when suddenly, his vision glitched out and showed him a different scene, in a different setting.

_He woke sitting on a desk in his creator's laboratory, having been completed and activated for the first time. He held his arms out and looked at his hands, flexing his fingers. He looked up and was greeted by two men, who marveled at his new functionality, but their names had been erased from his memory._

_"He's a real work of art, isn't he?"_

_"Yep. All those days and nights I spent building him really payed off. I think I'll call him...Jet Jaguar."_

_A window was displayed in his field of vision reading NAME: JET JAGUAR._

_"Nice. I think that suits him." _

_"I can't wait to see how he evolves." _

"Jet Jaguar?" A child's voice was the first thing the mecha heard when he came back to reality. "Are you okay?" He looked around as if expecting to be in his previous surroundings. But he wasn't in the laboratory-wherever it was-he was in an elementary school classroom, holding a drawing a young fan had made of him.

"Sorry. Just glitched out for a second." he said to the boy. "This drawing is great. I love it." He patted the smiling boy on the head.

The other students took their turns showing Jet Jaguar their drawings. The bell rang for dismissal, and the robot gave the class one last group hug before they left for the day. Ms. Iketa thanked him, Haru, and Akari for coming in, and the three of them headed back to HQ. As they drove through the busy streets of Tokyo, Jet Jaguar decided to tell his friends what he had seen.

"Guys, something happened while I was looking at that first boy's drawing. I think I regained a lost memory."

Haru and Akari perked up with alarm, but Jet Jaguar took it for surprise or interest. "Oh? What did you see, Jet?" Akari asked calmly.

"I was younger and in some kind of laboratory, I think it was my first moments after I was activated. There were these two men with me, and I think one of them was my creator, because he talked about building me."

"Did you remember his name?" Haru asked.

"No, just what he looked like. But maybe we can use that to find out who he is."

"Yeah, maybe. We'll try that when we get back to HQ." Akari said, worriedly side-glancing at Haru.

Their van passed by a dark alley, and from it stealthily emerged two men and one woman, all wearing shades and with tie-dyed hair and edgy clothing. They watched the JSDF van drive down the street and turn left.

"The robot in there?" the woman asked.

One of the men nodded. "Can't strike now, though, too many witnesses." he said. "We gotta wait till we get him completely alone."

"We'll get our chance." said the other man. "Just gotta keep our eyes peeled for the right moment. Then we can show him our little surprise."

His two companions nodded grinned before they all disappeared back into their alley.


	3. Vital Bravery

When they arrived back at HQ, a team member searched Jet Jaguar's files for the recovered memory. When she found and replayed it, she scanned the face of his creator and had the rest of the team begin searching for his information.

"Since you don't remember his name, Jet, it might take a while." she said. "But we finally have a place to start."

"I can't believe it. After all these years, I'm finally close to finding out who my creator is." Jet Jaguar said. "Maybe I'll remember how we got separated, and everything else before that." His robotic eyes glistened with excitement.

"We hope you do, too, Jet." Akari said, but there wasn't as much hope in her voice.

Night fell, and the team was still trying to find Jet Jaguar's creator. He had standing around waiting for hours, growing more restless as each one passed. Finally, Haru insisted that he retire to his room for the night. "You're exhausted, you need some rest. We'll let you know if we find anything."

Jet Jaguar tried to object, but Haru was right-he needed to rest. He bade everyone goodnight and went up to the second floor. Haru turned to Akari.

"He's regaining his memories." he said.

"I know. And sooner than we expected." Akari added. "But assuming he doesn't gain anymore tonight, the plan is still the same-tomorrow night, we'll explain everything to him."

Haru sighed. "Let's hope he takes it well, although he likely won't."

Everyone nodded in agreement, sharing the same sense of dread.

Before going to sleep, Jet Jaguar looked out his window as his mind raced with questions, just as he had done every night for ages. Only this time was different, since he had now regained a piece of his past, brief but significant. He had seen his creator, reexperienced the moment his life began. What else would he remember? Would he remember his creator's name, and how they were separated?

Jet Jaguar decided he'd had enough of pondering the unknown for tonight. He stood on his assemble holder on the left side of the room and powered down.

_He soared through the sky, invigorated by the feeling of the wind rushing past him. He looked at the passing landscape below him, floored by the sheer size and beauty of Japan. He flew back towards a riverbed, where his creator was standing outside, watching him with the look of a proud father. His robot son, his magnificent creation, landed before him, his metallic face bright, like flying through the sky had done some good for his mood and spirit._

_"Glad to see your jet boosters are working perfectly." his creator said, patting him on the head. "How was it?"_

_"Amazing, Father!" he said with a clear aura of delight. "Japan looks great from the sky!"_

_"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Jet Jaguar. Because you might be able to do much more of it when you're older, and in all kinds of places."_

_"You mean, when I'm older, I'll get to see what the whole world looks like?"_

_"Not only that, but you might even become capable of protecting it from all kinds of dangers. Oh, all the things you'll be able to do one day." His creator beamed with excitement._

_Traveling the world, becoming a hero-thinking of the bright future ahead of him made him excited as well._

Jet Jaguar powered back online the next morning with a start. He had regained another memory overnight, once again seen his creator, his father. The pieces to his past were slowly but surely coming back together. He almost couldn't contain his excitement, it was only a matter of time before he remembered everything from before.

The team gathered in the sitting room later that morning. A female team member stood in the center while everyone else sat around her. Jet Jaguar sat between Haru and Akari, eager to hear the results of their long hours of research, knowing that it was about to pay off.

"We have good news and bad news, Jet. The good news is, we managed to find out your creator's name, Dr. Goro Ibuki. The bad news is, that was all we could find about him. We were unable to find anything else of importance, like his known residences. It was like all of his information besides his name had somehow been erased from the internet."

Jet Jaguar remembered the situation being similar when he arrived at HQ. He knew only his name, nothing else. Something told him there was a disturbing pattern going on here, but he pushed the thought aside and focused on right now.

"About that," he said, "I recovered another memory last night while I was asleep. It didn't really have anything that could help us, though, except that my creator and I were at some riverbed in Japan."

The team member in the center nodded approval. "If you regain more memories, then maybe we can gather more information on Goro. Let us know as soon as another one comes up, Jet. That's all, team."

After the meeting adjourned, Haru and Akari joined Jet Jaguar. "What did you see?" Akari asked.

"I was younger, like a kid. I was flying across Japan, testing out my jet boosters, and the view was really breathtaking. After I landed, we talked about my future and all the potential I had. I could see how excited he was-it reminded me of how I felt when I regained my first memory."

"That's great, Jet." Akari said.

"It is. I'm gradually starting to remember everything from my past, and now I finally know my creator's name. I can't wait to see what I remember next." Jet Jaguar's smile faded. "That reminds me, his name was the only information you guys found. When I first came here, my name was all I could remember, too. I think there's something fishy going on here, guys."

"Hmm, that does sound suspicious." Akari agreed.

Before they could rule out possibilities, HQ's emergency alarm suddenly rang out. They immediately rushed to the control room, where a male and female team member were each monitoring the wall of screens showing various parts of Japan.

"What have we got?" Haru asked.

"Some giant mantis have descended on Osaka." the man said, zooming in on a screen near the center of the wall. The screen showed the city in question being overrun by praying mantis kaiju. "Get the squad ready to ship out."

"We're on it." Akari said.

A JSDF fighter jet flew towards Osaka, the soldiers inside ready to deploy. Jet Jaguar flew beside them, keeping a sharp eye out for the hostile kaiju. Akari contacted him through a communication system they installed in him years ago.

"Jet, we've picked up the signal of one more kaiju approaching Osaka. Considering the other mantis arrived in a group and this one appears to be by itself, we think it might be something completely different, and probably a another level of dangerous altogether. Be ready when it arrives."

"Got it. We'll show them how we deal with troublemakers."

Akari hung up as the squad neared Osaka, and they could now see the horde of mantis kaiju terrorizing the city. The fighter jet's side door slid open, and the squad lowered cables to the ground, which they would use to descend into battle.

"JSDF squad, deploy!" the pilot announced.

Jet Jaguar followed the squad as they slid down the cables onto the streets of Osaka. Almost immediately, numerous mantis surrounded them. The squad began firing at the mantis with their guns, not doing much damage but pushing them back enough to give them more ground. Seeing his opening, Jet Jaguar grew from his normal height of 1.8 meters to 50 meters, giving him an advantage against the insect invaders. This ability perplexed the JSDF-Jet Jaguar didn't have it when he first arrived at HQ, but they didn't give him the ability, either. They figured he must've somehow learned it on his own.

Two mantis lunged for Jet Jaguar. The robot kicked one and karate chopped the other, then picked one up and threw it into its companion, taking them both out. Another tried to descend on him from above, but he blinded it with his eye beams, making it shriek in pain and cover its eyes with its claws. While it was distracted, the human squad took the opportunity to gun it down.

Jet Jaguar blasted a mantis with his arm beam, then fired missiles at two more. One managed to latch onto him, only to be shoved off and beaten down after a brief struggle. Several surrounded him at once and pounced, but Jet Jaguar shot them all down with energy blasts from his wrists before any of them could land. The remaining mantis tried attacking him from behind, but the robot sensed it coming and roundhouse kicked it. The squad took it out with gunfire before it could get up.

Although the horde had been defeated, the battle was not yet over. As Akari had warned, another kaiju had arrived in the city, and as she predicted, it was entirely different from the mantis. A giant spider, with a brown-and-yellow striped body and purple orbs for eyes. Said eyes focused on Jet Jaguar, and the arachnid kaiju took off running towards its target with impressive speed for its size, completely ignoring gunfire from the human squad. Jet Jaguar side-dodged before his attacker could collide with him, then shot it down with missiles when it tried pouncing him. It tried lunging for him one more time before it was blinded by Jet Jaguar's eye beams and knocked back by his arm beams.

Although the spider was more durable than the mantis, it was still taking massive damage and quickly running out of steam. But despite the intense beating it received, it crawled weakly toward Jet Jaguar, still intent on taking out its enemy. The robot could've killed the spider right then and there, but instead he took pity on the arachnid and waited until it collapsed from exhaustion, then acknowledged cheers and admiration from the humans as he stood triumphantly over its fallen body.

Stealthily hidden among the saved civilians were the edgy trio who spied on Jet Jaguar's van the day before. They stood by and observed the robot battle the invaders. The two men turned to the woman, who quickly wrote something in the notebook she carried and nodded in confirmation.

The three of them watched Jet Jaguar in silence, sinister looks of greed hidden behind their sunglasses.


End file.
